Easily_Misunderstood

1 Easily Misunderstood Dwight Whorton COM 200 June 4, 2011 - 1 - 1 1. Easily Misunderstood Your document’s heading is not formatted correctly. In the upper left corner of the first page, the words "Running head:" should preface a shortened version of your title. The upper right corner of the page should have the numerical page number. The shortened version of your title should be in all capital letters. On subsequent pages, the shortened version of your title should appear on the lefthand side, with a page number on the right-hand side. For additional information, visit the Ashford Writing Center located in Constellation. Click on Ch 7 -- Sample Paper with Formatting Instructions. [Meghan Murray (TA)] Easily Misunderstood 1 Easily Misunderstood How often have you found yourself talking to someone close to you, thinking the conversation is going along great when the other person reacts in an irritated manner' Or even an anxious manner' You think back to what you have said, reviewing your comments and nothing sticks out as being particularly bad. Well you have just experienced a misunderstanding. “For many people, their communication skills with loved ones are not as strong as they would think” (Anon., 2011, p. 1). Communication is a two way street where both people need to be traveling the same direction. When one person gets off course or veers then we have a miscommunication. In the article entitled, “Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication” study coauthor Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, explained, "Our problem in communicating with friends and spouses is that we have an illusion of insight. Getting close to someone appears to create the illusion of understanding more than actual understanding" (as cited in Anon., 2011, p.1). I had just such a miscommunication take place tonight. “As social animals, we want and need connections with other people” (Soles, 2011, p. 22). Tonight I experienced a miscommunication with my family. We were planning to get together as we usually try to do on Monday nights, due to misunderstanding and miscommunication on everyone’s part we did not end up getting together. I wanted that connection to my family. So alas I write this paper about that very miscommunication instead. Our first mistake was trying to organize it through texting and two different people trying to coordinate it at the same time. That never works. Secondly, my mom assumed no one was going to show up so she made other plans - 2 - 1 2 3 4 1. manner' Try to avoid using rhetorical questions, as they don't provide information for the reader. [Meghan Murray (TA)] 2. Communication is a two way street... Your thesis should be a single sentence at the end of your Intro. [Meghan Murray (TA)] 3. “As Each paragraph should naturally lead into the next. Use transition words or phrases such as "eventually, therefore, as a result." For additional information, visit the Ashford Writing Center located in Constellation. Click on Ch 3.1. [Meghan Murray (TA)] 4. due This is a comma splice. The comma is not strong enough to join these two independent clauses. It is correct to write, "Samantha wrote a paper, and Anne worked on her math homework," rather than "Samantha wrote a paper, Anne worked on her homework." For additional information, visit the Ashford Writing Center located in Constellation. Click on Ch 6.4 -- Six Common Rules for Comma Usage. [Meghan Murray (TA)] Easily Misunderstood 1 before waiting for any of us to answer back. The only plus to the experience is she did let us know in time so we didn’t head to her house and accidentally show up when her friend did too. To avoid this type of miscommunication in the future we could talk on the phone or email everyone at one time. Also clarify when one thinks the response is in the negative and not the affirmative. If one of us is questioning an answer as iffy then ask the sender to clarify their response and not assume it is an automatic no. These days with all the social media, texting, emailing, etc, I find miscommunications to be more prevalent and more abundant. Many of us have had our feelings hurt by a simple misunderstanding or misspelling when receiving an electronic message. In my example from tonight there were too many veering cars on our road to communicating though luckily no collisions. Had we just communicated more openly and honestly not assuming anything we could have avoided the misunderstandings and any potential hurt feelings. Communication is a two way street but you both have to be going the same direction or it leads to miscommunication. - 3 - 1 2 3 4 1. didn’t Contractions are not appropriate in academic writing. Use "does not" instead of "doesn't" or "will not" instead of "won't." This will ensure a professional and academic tone. [Meghan Murray (TA)] 2. To Indent each paragraph five spaces or 1/2 inch from the left margin per APA 6th edition guidelines. [Meghan Murray (TA)] 3. message. This paragraph seems underdeveloped; can you combine it with another paragraph' [Meghan Murray (TA)] 4. you Avoid the use of the personal pronoun "you," as it is considered informal in academic writing. For additional information, visit the Ashford Writing Center located in Constellation. Click on Ch 2.2. [Meghan Murray (TA)] Easily Misunderstood 1 References Anonymous. Close relationships sometimes mask poor communication. (2011, January). U.S. News & World Report, 1. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global. Document ID: 2270370591 Sole, K. (2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content.ashford.edu) - 4 - 1 1. References The list of sources does not follow APA 6th edition guidelines. For additional information, visit the Ashford Writing Center located in Constellation. Click on Appendix: Writing Gallery -- Sample Reference Page. [Meghan Murray (TA)]